The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-07-23
LANsDowNE's ESTATES.
ForIorn Scenes where the Irish Rent
War Rages.
letter to Boston Globe ]

early in April. The house is Of the poorest
class. The thatch is thick and rotting on
the roof. and the walls are heaved all awry
by the frosts. so that mud and straw have
been put in to stop up the chinks. The two
houses join end to end, with common CHM
ney between them. There are one or two
out-buildings, which formerly sheltered
farm stock, all Of which are very dilapidat-
ed. The floor Of one house is tagged with
limestone, the other Is Of ordinary dirt
pounded hard and worn smooth from years
of use. The furniture has been all taken
away. save an old bed, which Is outside, ex-
posed to the sun. 1t is very old bedstead
Of bog oak, rudely carved and put together.
1t is tradition that the heirs to this rent
racked, miserable little farm have been born
and died in that little old bed for the past
3co years-all but one, and he died facing the
enemy in the struggle Of '9S.
''When he went TO war;" said Father NAH
or, she carried long, iron-pointed, wooden
pike, because he was too poor to buy a gun.
He fell in skirmish, and his younger broth
er took up the pike and carried it for some
time, finally bringing it home and hiding it
here among the straw thatch Of his roof.
"It used to be slowed away right here"
continued Father Maher, feeling around
among the straw. i have seen It, won
der if it is here now"
In few seconds he began to pull, and
brought out a heavy oaken stick with sharp
iron point. 1t was fully six feet long, and /
should say it weighed 40 pounds. The wood
was cleaned and polished until it shone,
said Father Maher. shat is what
the Irish used to fight with | should say
that when one Of those fellows were run
through man it wouldssrye him as well as
bullet" -
. He placed the weapon carefully back in
its hiding place and continued:
''It was In this house that Ann Neil, Pat
Kelly's servant:girl, threw hot water on the
constable who took part in the eviction last
spring. The whole family were in the house
and when the constabulary broke in Ann
took upa skillet of boiling water and held it
in front of her in the doorway TO bar their
progress.
"If YOU throw that water" said the con-
stable, II will send you into eternity"
"All right" said Anne; but you'll take
this first, and she threw the water all over
him, scalding him badly. She was arrested,
but escaped by flaw in the warrant. The
Plan Of Campaign pays her two shillings
week for her bravery.
When we had visited several other desert
ed houses and seen their forlorn condition,
we turned down toward the road to find
our jaunting car. AS wepassed along by the
side of high bridge we saw man down in
the ditch, among the furze and nettles, ,smend-
ing water course.
.Hello, Arthur" said Father Maher.
''have you gone back to work for Lans-
downe?"
"No, your reverence, have not; but l
pated to see the brook dig big hole in the
bank, and now, when the water Is low, /
thought would be after mending it,"
LET 1t alone, Arthur O'Niel," said the
downe's; look out, now. Leave it be You
have saved for him long enough. This time
you look out for yourself.
"But, your reverence, he just let's me turn
my cows in here for a bite, and l would be
after doing him favor in return"
"How many Of you evicted men are per-
mitted to have your cows Craze on the es-
tate? Tell me, now how many In all? /
want to know" The priest was getting an
cry. could see his eyes flash behind the
spectacles.
"Oniy Tim Moore and myself, your rever-
ence; L hope it Is no HARM"
"But it is harm, Arthur, and you know 1t
is harm. You are taking favor from that
agent. Do you think he will not ask one in
than the other eyicted tenants that @ your COWS cows
can feed here while theirs go hungry?
Hasn't Lansdowne made you and your IA
theirs suffer, and If he was wanting to do you
favor couldn't he have given you the rent
instead Of trying to bribe YOU with little
poor grass for the cow? For shame on you,
Arthur. Be man, and stand up like the
rest"
The poor peasant pulled at the short grass
on the bank but said nothing He knew he
was wrong, but he hated to give up the in
come from his cow.
"Now, tell me, Arthur" continued Father
Maher, "how many times day or week or
month did you and the good woman have
meat at the table@
1T was not often, sir, / tell you"
'But how often? l want to know"
"Oh, sometimes we had it once year, or
perhaps twice year at the most"
"And how often did you have eggs or but
terP"
'Never, your. reverence; never since l
have been on this farm"
"And you have been here how long"
'Seven years last April, your reverence"
"And you raised cattle and pigs, and made
butter and kept hens and ducks, did you
not?"
land was too cold and poor to plant"
"Now, what in the name of mercy did you
do with all the beef and pork and butter and
eggs you raised here for seven years? Ii
was all you raised, and you did not eat any
of it? What did you do with it? You and
the wife like meat and can eat 1t, can't
you%
Indeed we can, your reverence; but we
had to sell 1t all to pay the rent, and even
then we could not keep abreast"
what had you to eat mostly for breakfast,
dinner and supper while you worked here,
Arthur"
sometimes we had cabbage or few po-
tatoes, but it was mostly stirabout and skim
milk. have had 1t twice day these seven
years, SIR"
'What is stirabOut2" asked.
1T Is what you call 'mush' or 'hasty pud.
ding" replied the priest. 'It is made Of
oatmeal, salt and water. The water and salt
are put in kettle and heated, and the meal
dropped In while the wife stirs the COM
pound with fiat stick to keep 1t from stick
ing to the sides Of the kettle and burning, so
our people call It 'stirabout' 1t is all the
poor people eat here"
"How much money had you, Arthur, when
you took this farm seven years ago?" ssked
"a hundred and fifty pounds, your rever-
ence,"
"How did you earn itP"
Il got it by breaking stones and at work
ON the street."
How much could you earn there, Ar
thur?"
about two shillings day, sir"
How much money have you, now Ar
thur?"
Not farthing, your reverence. | am
worse than that; | owe ESQ besides the rent
for which was turned out"
Don't let me hear you say you owe the
rent, I0uuueTeu Tic pIlcots Ou OW6
Lansdowne nothing. IL he gave you and
your wife farm rent free for all your lives
he would not pay you for what you have
done for him."
"Have you any children?" / asked.
II have none, sir, praise God! wish for
none, though the woman cries when she sees
other women with babies in their arms. She
used to cry much, but she sees it is the will
Of God not to have the little ones suffer as
we have done.
We left him, trowel in hand, bending over
his work and looking very sad. remarked
that his case was a hard one.
mot so hard as many another who says
less,'. replied the priest He Is poor, and
so are the rest. He is healthy and his wife
is well, and they have no little ones to care
for, which is, Indeed, BLESSING here. Then
French has been at him with lot of palaver
and blarney and told him he could put his
COW in on the grass, and Arthur was not
man enough to refuse. | don't like the way
he is acting | want man who will make
an out-and-out fight, taking no favors and
giving none. l fear me that Arthur is get
ting chicken-hearted.